Mediawijs.be

In the Mediawijs Competence Model we define 5 strategic goals to which media can contribute to the pursuit of 'happy citizens'. They go together with the functions media can fulfill across different contexts and target groups.

• INFORM - informing yourself and others
  Keeping or sharing information is often a key reason for using or developing a medium. Books, newspapers, news broadcasts, weather reports, news from the troops ... from traditional to digital media, the possibilities seem endless. It is not without reason that we speak of a wealth of information. And like any pirate treasure you encounter the necessary obstacles in search of good information, the treasure sometimes turns out to be an empty box and it is quite a challenge to spend the found treasure in the public interest. Media literacy can help you to search for information, to assess the information and its sources and to properly gather, disclose and disseminate information yourself.
• INTERACT - exchanging opinions, feelings, data, goods, services, money ...
  Media allow us to cross the boundaries of time and space in order to make contact with others, convey messages to each other and make arrangements that lead to physical or real results. One on one, in group or with services, governments and web shops, the chances of interaction through media are ubiquitous. You can make friendships and relationships thrive or just maintain them. You can ask your questions to more people and organizations than ever before. You can deal with your administration and transactions online. You can reach your customers directly.
  On the other hand, those media do not prevent you from misunderstanding something, from insulting or harassing someone, from intercepting communication or from coming into contact with the wrong people. And what goes really fast for one, is still strange and frightening for the other. Media literacy can help you reach the right people and institutions with your communication, to react as effectively as possible to others, to increase your knowledge of which buttons to push, to find your way in the tangle of technical possibilities and services offered and to consciously deal with deal with your privacy.
• CREATE - create media (content) for yourself and others
  Being able to express your ideas, emotions, stories ... well, that's what you need to connect with others and to further develop yourself. Media offers you more options than ever before: photos, videos, websites, blogs, podcasts, games, social media posts, 3D-printed objects ... Creating and making helps make people happier, give them voice and provides for self-expression and experience.
  Not everyone has access to all devices and software or is as fluent as others. Being seen or heard in the great mass of creations, requires more and more creativity, originality and qualitative execution. And sometimes someone else just takes over your creation or you take someone else's. Media literacy can help you to develop your basic creative skills, to increase the quality and reach of your work and to know what you can and cannot do with someone else's work and how you can make that clear about your own work.
• ENTERTAIN - amuse yourself and others
  Watching YouTube, playing games, just browsing around in search of facts, visiting the social media of your friends and acquaintances, organising a LAN party, making memes ... digital media provide you with a huge range of amusement. And they allow you to provide your own products to entertain others. After all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and enjoying media together ensures better ties, better collaborations, higher productivity ...
  Some people sometimes lose themselves in a serious binge session, play a game just a little or way too long, or don't see the difference anymore between making a joke or outright bullying someone. Media literacy can help you consciously enjoy media and find a balance between when and for what you use media or not.
• (DE)FEND - stand up for yourself, for your opinion, for others, for a greater cause ...
  The media is an important part of the public space. And since ancient times we have to be able to stand up for ourselves, for others or for something in the playground, in the street, at work, in a bar ... An online petition, a mail protest or contacting your representatives through social media ... you can fend for something or someone through digital media, among others. And sometimes you don't choose to, but have to defend yourself or others against whoever attacks you and your friends and family. Media literacy can help you to be resilient against and for yourself, the others, a higher goal ...

All these goals can stand on their own, but in practice they often mix together. For example, when you distribute information, you usually inform and interact at the same time. You created the media item that you use to transfer the information and perhaps you made it into an amusing video or an entertaining game. And you may act resiliently to argue for 'the greater goal' or to rule on negative responses to your information.

In general, each of these goals or functions is equally important. You take all five into account to work on media literacy. Over the totality of actions, organizations and initiatives we strive for a good balance between them.
In a concrete practice you have to find out for each context and target group what you want to emphasize in your training, tool, campaign ... Avoid meanwhile making the goals that are not covered in them more difficult by presenting them as negative or inferior.

The Mediawijs Competence Model is the result of our quest so far. It's a starting point and a living model with handles to formulate the concrete framework for your own medium, target group and context.

Read the other articles on the Mediawijs Competence Model too!

• The Mediawijs Competence Model
• Start from a broad vision: aiming for happiness
• What media literacy competence clusters and subcompetences do you need?
• Determine what knowledge, skills and attitudes apply to your context

Questions or remarks?  Let us know!